This invention relates to mast and carriage assemblies for a lift truck, and more particularly, to such an assembly which provides a pair of elongated members extensible relative to a pair of fixed channel members, and a carriage movably associated with the pair of elongated members.
In the normal fork-type lift truck, the fork thereof is carried by a vertically extensible mast assembly located at the forward end of the truck. Such fork engages a load in a lower position and is thereafter raised to a desired elevation, in which position such load is transported to a desired location, lowered, and unloaded. Such a mast assembly for supporting a fork carriage preferably includes means for its vertical extension so as to maintain minimum vertical retracted height, while also providing maximum elevation of the fork carriage.
In general, such extensible mast assemblies of known construction have included a stationary assembly fixed to the truck and a movable section including a pair of slidingly extensible rail members movable relative to the stationary assembly, and a carriage movably associated with the pair of slidingly extensible rail members. An example of such structure is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,732 which issued to Wagner et al. Dec. 3, 1974 from an application filed Feb. 8, 1973.
Such previous structures have maintained minimum retracted height and provided means for elevating the fork carriage thereof above the normal vertical dimension of the stationary mast portion.
This invention resides in a method for assembling a slider element and a channel element to form a portion of the mast of the lift truck. By utilizing this method, the slider element and channel element can have permanent type slider stop element.